Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy who do not speak and use augmentative and assistive technology often experience conversations that disregard their modes of communication or exclude them. Ableism centered on communication and technology is often at the root of how these adolescents are talked about, talked over, or left out of communication. I used a post-modern and post-human qualitative research approach, plugging in theory, literature, song lyrics, and my personal experiences as an insider, as the mother of an adolescent with Cerebral Palsy who does not speak. I conducted conversations with youth collaborators and interviewed their mothers about perceptions, theirs and others, of what it means to communicate. Insights into conversations that allow us to become and be who we are, rather than identities we are assigned, focused on patience, presence, and a belief in presumptive competence.
","abstract_html":"<p>Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy who do not speak and use augmentative and assistive technology often experience conversations that disregard their modes of communication or exclude them. Ableism centered on communication and technology is often at the root of how these adolescents are talked about, talked over, or left out of communication. I used a post-modern and post-human qualitative research approach, plugging in theory, literature, song lyrics, and my personal experiences as an insider, as the mother of an adolescent with Cerebral Palsy who does not speak. I conducted conversations with youth collaborators and interviewed their mothers about perceptions, theirs and others, of what it means to communicate. Insights into conversations that allow us to become and be who we are, rather than identities we are assigned, focused on patience, presence, and a belief in presumptive competence.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Schwartz-Johnston, Ramona"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - NLU Access","degree_discipline":"Disability and Equity in Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Jan Valle","Dr. Terry Jo Smith","Dr. Dean Adams"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-09-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-09-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z","subjects":["ableism","ableism in communication","augmentative and alternative communication","becoming","Cerebral Palsy","dysconscious ableism","technoableism","Accessibility","Disability and Equity in Education","Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/695","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Jan Valle","Dr. Terry Jo Smith","Dr. Dean Adams"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Schwartz-Johnston, Ramona"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-09-22T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Disability and Equity in Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - NLU Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ableism","ableism in communication","augmentative and alternative communication","becoming","Cerebral Palsy","dysconscious ableism","technoableism","Accessibility","Disability and Equity in Education","Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/695"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy who do not speak and use augmentative and assistive technology often experience conversations that disregard their modes of communication or exclude them. Ableism centered on communication and technology is often at the root of how these adolescents are talked about, talked over, or left out of communication. I used a post-modern and post-human qualitative research approach, plugging in theory, literature, song lyrics, and my personal experiences as an insider, as the mother of an adolescent with Cerebral Palsy who does not speak. I conducted conversations with youth collaborators and interviewed their mothers about perceptions, theirs and others, of what it means to communicate. Insights into conversations that allow us to become and be who we are, rather than identities we are assigned, focused on patience, presence, and a belief in presumptive competence.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Becoming Through Conversation--I, You, We, Me, & Us: Conceptualizing Silence, Voice, Listening, and Love With Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy Who Do Not Speak"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Jan Valle","Dr. Terry Jo Smith","Dr. Dean Adams"],"dc:creator":["Schwartz-Johnston, Ramona"],"dc:date.available":["2025-09-22T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy who do not speak and use augmentative and assistive technology often experience conversations that disregard their modes of communication or exclude them. Ableism centered on communication and technology is often at the root of how these adolescents are talked about, talked over, or left out of communication. I used a post-modern and post-human qualitative research approach, plugging in theory, literature, song lyrics, and my personal experiences as an insider, as the mother of an adolescent with Cerebral Palsy who does not speak. I conducted conversations with youth collaborators and interviewed their mothers about perceptions, theirs and others, of what it means to communicate. Insights into conversations that allow us to become and be who we are, rather than identities we are assigned, focused on patience, presence, and a belief in presumptive competence.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/695"],"dc:subject":["ableism","ableism in communication","augmentative and alternative communication","becoming","Cerebral Palsy","dysconscious ableism","technoableism","Accessibility","Disability and Equity in Education","Education"],"dc:title":["Becoming Through Conversation--I, You, We, Me, & Us: Conceptualizing Silence, Voice, Listening, and Love With Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy Who Do Not Speak"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Disability and Equity in Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - NLU Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z"}